Films I'm Excited to See at the 2018 Venice Film Festival

Venice's lineup for its 75th year may be the most exciting in a decade. From Orson Welles's last film to the first man on the moon the Lido will be host to a startling array of movies with fantastic potential. The "In Competition" titles alone are enough to fill up two week's viewing time for anyone attending and there are several out-of-competition titles that any festival would kill to premiere. That's partially because, in addition to films distributed in the conventional way Venice is also embracing the works of non-traditional studios including Amazon, who has two movies (full disclosure: IMDb is owned by Amazon) and Netflix, who has six (full disclosure: I have a Netflix account). These films are selected out of the In Competition, Out of Competition, Venice Classics, and Orizzonti categories. You can also see my Best of Venice list here- by Keith Simanton, Senior Film Editor

Welles, who passed away in October of 1985, started shooting this film in August of 1970. Josh Karp's excellent book "Orson Welles's Last Movie" should be required on-the-plane reading readying for the historic unveiling of this film on August 31. Out-of-competition, World Premiere

Chazelle's last premiere at Venice, in 2016, La La Land was tinged with tragedy. Less than a week before the August 31 debut an earthquake hit central Italy, killing 300. The traditional after-party and dinner was cancelled in recognition. In Competition, World Premiere

It was evident when Warners unveiled the remake of this chestnut at Cinema-Con (it closed their show) that the studio was high, high, high on it. The trailer from DIRECTOR Cooper doesn't get old; Gaga holds the screen. Cooper looks appropriately grizzled and his Sam Elliott rumble sounds right. And the snippets of the tunes sound like a lot of playlist in the future. It's not In Competition, which seems odd, but the politics behind that move may be too much to untangle. Out-of-Competition, World Premiere

A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.

In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

As with our previous entry I'm already a bit nervous at the prospect of a Lanthimos film not tethered to the supposed morality of the present but to a more-barbarous past. There's some minor solace that, since it's based on history and not written by him so we won't have a man having to decide which family member to shoot (Killing of a Sacred Deer) or which animal to become (The Lobster). That said The Favourite can go anywhere, do anything. I'm not even sure it's meant to be accurate. It's possible that it's more of a commentary on just such a historical drama. When a director can make people have chills just by unveiling something new....well, that's the power of a unique artist. In Competition, World Premiere

Will they show all six episodes of this Netflix mini-series from the masterful Coens? When the fest feted Frances MacDormand (married to Joel Coen) in 2014 for Olive Kitteridge they showed all four episodes, two a night. In Competition, World Premiere

Fellini was 52-53 when he was making Amacord. Cuaron is 57 this year and has described this as his "most personal film." Seems like the right time to start getting nostalgic. In Competition, World Premiere

It's Assayas so this is a must-catch regardless but it's also about the crumbling of real-world publishing made by a filmmaker who is watching titanic changes in his own industry. In Competition, World Premiere

Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

Kent wrote and directed the chilling The Babadook and she's reuniting with her editor, Simon Njoo, and cinematographer, Radek Ladczuk, from that film. I'm looking forward to the same driving energy without the nails-on-chalkboard whiny kid. In Competition, World Premiere

von Donnersmarck wrote and directed 2007's Best Foreign Language film The Lives of Others. He followed it up with one of the biggest embarrassments for the HFPA and the Golden Globes, the much-derided Best Comedy/Musical nominee of 2010, The Tourist (which, while not a great film, didn't deserve the widespread scorn heaped on it). This is the director's first film in eight years. In Competition, World Premiere

A small sampling of Schnable's other efforts include the exquisite The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Basquiat, which still boasts one of the most eclectic casts in recent memory. In Competition, World Premiere

Not counting the Kitchen Sink film school of the '60s no one does working-class rage quite like Mike Leigh (okay, okay, after Ken Loach). For my money Leigh's best film has been Naked, with a nod to Topsy Turvy and Life Is Sweet. But I found Mr. Turner, his bio-pic about the 19th century painter and his most recent, to be a slog, a slog by a grouch, about a grouch, that made me grouchy. In Competition, World Premiere

A "warts-and-all" documentary about Friedkin would be amazing. I kinda have to imagine though this fits under the "appreciation" category of docs like De Palma from 2015. Venice Classics, World Premiere

Three young women were sentenced to death in the infamous Manson murder case, but when the death penalty was lifted, their sentence became life imprisonment. One young graduate student was ... See full summary »

I'm a huge fan of Matt Smith but also of Mary Harron who directed the ahead-of-its-time, maybe still ahead-of-its-time American Psycho. I'd love to see her get recognition with this American psycho. Orrizonti, World Premiere

In the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind, in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last great movie.

Oscar-winner Morgan Neville looks at the life of Orson Welles and the creation of the Out-of-Competition title, The Other Side of the Wind. Neville has done docs on the beloved, such as the backup singers from 20 Feet from Stardom and the saintly, with Fred Rogers and Won't You Be My Neighbor. So what about curmudgeonly raconteurs? This appears to be the year of Welles. Out-of-Competition, World Premiere

Driss and Manuel are two childhood friends who end up taking opposite paths: Manuel chose to embrace the thug life, while Driss becomes a cop. When Manuel's biggest deal goes terribly wrong, the two men meet again and come to realize they both need each other to survive in their worlds.

A three-part story of Norway's worst terrorist attack in which over seventy people were killed. 22 July looks at the disaster itself, the survivors, Norway's political system and the lawyers who worked on this horrific case.

Greengrass, who directed the blood-chilling 9-11 plane film, Flight 93, tackles a nearly impossible subject and one most people can't relish experiencing. But he's one of the few who could pull it off. In Competition, World Premiere